Founded 1963 Relaunched 2019. The Postmodern South.

Unveiling Something Bigg At The African Place

https://goo.gl/photos/ZzQFQhJgt4SBCz5g9
https://goo.gl/photos/hbmU3n1x1Lrdn49XA
https://goo.gl/photos/2vnwgeEe62LxSFS48
https://goo.gl/photos/ywUn2cbfwR6U9vwu8
https://goo.gl/photos/drV2Z3uepJjBfFaf9
My homeboy Otis Logan is one of Memphis’ best young drummers, so when he told me he would be playing for a singer named Bigg Smith at The African Place, I was intrigued, as I didn’t know the singer or the venue, but I made plans to attend. As it turned out, The African Place is the former Cafe 581 which had an extremely brief run about four years ago, and it is not usually a music venue, but rather more of a shop/gallery for imported African goods. All the same, the place was packed to overflowing, with a very small space for the band. The show opened with a few songs from an R & B singer named Lamar, but Bigg Smith proved to be an amazingly talented singer, with a warm voice that exudes confidence, and the backing band was first-rate as well. Smith’s repertoire included some originals, as well as covers ranging from Aretha Franklin to Jeffrey Osborne. All too soon it was over, but it was a Friday evening well-spent.


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.